Canadian wholesale activity edges up

Western Canadian provinces led a national wholesale sales increase of 0.9 percent to $49.2 billion in October, Statistics Canada reported Monday. "In dollar terms, wholesalers in Alberta and Saskatchewan contributed the most to the national growth, followed by British Columbia and Manitoba," the agency said. Six of the seven sectors representing 85 percent of wholesale trade reported increases. "The largest increase in dollar terms came in the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector, where sales rose 1 percent to $10.5 billion in October, continuing their upward trend," StatsCan said. The only decrease in sales seen in October was in the personal and household goods sector, which was down by 0.4 percent, the report said. The wholesale trade numbers reflect a 0.2 percent increase in September's Gross Domestic Product report.